Wrestling News and Forum- eWrestlingNews.com - Blogs - Top Twenty Wrestlers Ever by Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/blog.php?15642-Top-Twenty-Wrestlers-Ever
Wrestling News and Discussion - eWrestlingNews.com CommunityenSat, 10 Dec 2016 01:10:38 GMTvBulletin10http://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/images/misc/rss.jpgWrestling News and Forum- eWrestlingNews.com - Blogs - Top Twenty Wrestlers Ever by Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/blog.php?15642-Top-Twenty-Wrestlers-Ever
24 More Interesting Factshttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45961-24-More-Interesting-Facts
Sun, 20 Oct 2013 23:07:45 GMTI couldn’t help myself. Although I said my last blog was the final entry in the fun facts series, this one is actually a prequel, so I didn’t lie.:p...I couldn’t help myself. Although I said my last blog was the final entry in the fun facts series, this one is actually a prequel, so I didn’t lie.:p These are pretty much left-overs from my previous blogs. This set of trivia is mostly based on older, rare facts from back in the day. I’m sure some of these won’t be shockers to you long-time wrestling fans. I’ve lost count here, but hopefully this final entry will help me get it out of my system. I think you’ll like it.

The first person to win a world title in a Hell in a Cell Match was The Undertaker….in 2009!
That’s right, since the Cell debuted in 1997, all title matches witnessed the defending champion retain the world title. It took 12 years until Taker defeated CM Punk at Hell in a Cell 2009 for the World Heavyweight Title for a world title to change hands in the Cell. In the same night, Randy Orton defeated John Cena, becoming the first challenger to win the WWE Title in the Cell. Out of 27 total Hell in a Cell matches, only 3 have produced a new world champion, Alberto Del Rio being the 3rd. You can take solace in the fact that the upcoming match between Orton and Daniel Bryan is sure to produce a new champion, as well.

The Fabulous Moolah held the Women’s Title for over 27 consecutive years.
Move over Bruno, because this broad’s got your number. Moolah, who won the first NWA World Women’s Championship in 1956, held the title for over 10,000 days! After selling the title to the WWE, they decided not to recognize its preceding history. By the way, Moolah is also to this day undefeated at WWE Pay Per Views.

William Moody (Paul Bearer) actually worked in a morgue!
In the early 80’s, Moody decided to acquire a degree in mortuary science and even became a certified embalmer and mortician. His career was short lived, however, and he soon returned back to his true calling of wrestling. I guess his relationship with Taker was truly a match made in heav- I mean hell.

Matt Bloom (Sweet T) has appeared in 6 Royal Rumbles without ever getting a single elimination.
Currently, I would call Bloom the worst Rumble participant in WWE history. He appeared in the 2000-2004 Rumbles, along with the last one in 2013, and has never so much as assisted in a single elimination. It’s well known that most participants in the event are just “bodies”, but this is ridiculous. Even Hornswoggle has had an elimination!

AJ Styles, in addition to TNA and ROH, has wrestled for both WCW and WWE.
His true fans know that AJ had brief stints in the two companies in the early 2000’s. First, he had a quick stay with WCW, competing in a tag team known as “Air Raid”, which got eliminated in a tournament for the cruiserweight tag titles. Then, in WWE, he made multiple appearances on Jakked, only to turn down a modest developmental deal that the company offered him. They blew that one like a $2 hooker on a Friday night.

The Undertaker’s best man at his wedding was the Fake Undertaker from Summerslam 1994.
Good thing it wasn’t a kayfabe wedding or else it would have freaked people the hell out. Brian Lee, also known as Chainz from DOA, stood by Taker’s side as he performed his vows with his first wife. Not creeped out yet? Lee also appeared in a Bollywood movie as The Undertaker alongside Brian Adams (Crush) that went on to be 1 of the highest grossing films of the year in India. Go figure.

Scott Hall has never competed in a Royal Rumble in his career.
Scott Hall/Razor Ramon has never stepped foot into the Royal Rumble. Usually, he would be occupied with something else, such as the Intercontinental title. The odd part? The Fake Razor Ramon has competed in the Rumble more than he has.

Neither one of the Dudley Boyz have ever competed in the Royal Rumble.
A parlay from the previous entry, neither Bubba nor Devon have ever stepped foot into a Royal Rumble. They were always occupied with tag team opponents. So one of the greatest IC champs and one of the greatest tag team champs in company history never received a chance to fight for a WrestleMania opportunity.

The Rock has had a total of 5 reigns as a tag team champion….totaling a mere 24 days.
The Great One has had held 17 titles during his illustrious WWE career, 10 of those being a world title, and 2 being the Intercontinental Championship. However, his reigns as a tag champ have always been short lived. He held the gold 3 times as a part of the Rock N Sock Connection with Mick Foley, one with The Dead Man, and another with Y2J. Unfortunately, the longest of his 5 tag title reigns was a mere 8 days, with 2 of those reigns lasting only 24 hours. I guess sharing gold has never been one of his fortes.

The Rockers have actually won 5 tag titles in their wrestling career.
The tag team that put Shawn and Marty on the map, is known for never having won the tag titles in WWE. However, their careers were going strong before they worked for Vince. They actually held the titles in 3 different promotions, including the AWA, combing for 5 total title reigns.

Tito Santana holds the record for most consecutive WrestleMania losses (7).
After winning the opening match of WrestleMania 1, Santana took on a bit of bad luck, losing in every other WrestleMania match that he appeared in after that. Not until a dark match at WrestleMania 9 would Tito finally end the streak, unfortunately, fans at home were not able to witness him stop the bleeding.

Austin Aries is the only 2X Ring of Honor World Champion ever.
ROH doesn’t just hand out world titles like candy. As a matter of fact, there have only been 18 different world champions in the company’s 11 year history, meaning there have only been 19 total reigns. Excluding the current world champion, the previous 18 ROH World Title reigns average out to 222 days each. Now there is a title that has value. The longest world champion in company history: Samoa Joe at nearly 2 years.

Kane has never survived an elimination match at Survivor Series.
Despite competing in 8 traditional style elimination matches at the classic WWE PPV, The Big Red Monster has always been eliminated. He holds the all-time worst record in that match type, which is one of the biggest losing streaks in WWE PPV history. Hopefully, Kane will have a chance to redeem himself at next month’s event, assuming he both returns to television and competes in an elimination match.

Rene Dupree is the youngest champion in WWE history.
When he was only 19, Rene, along with Sylvain Grenier, known as La Resistance, captured the World Tag Team Championship from Kane and RVD at Bad Blood 2003. This made him the youngest title holder in company history. Not enough? Alright, in that case, the next year, Rene teamed up with Kenzo Suzuki to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, making him the youngest man to hold that title, as well.

The Honky Tonk Man was originally supposed to face Brutus the Barber Beefcake at Summerslam instead of The Ultimate Warrior.
The memorable match for the IC title was not originally supposed to have The Warrior in it, but he subbed in after Outlaw Ron Bass’s boot spurs sliced open Brutus’s head in a match at Superstars of Wrestling. This wasn’t the only last minute match change at a WWE PPV, but it was one of the most notable. Perhaps Honky Tonk’s legendary title streak would have continued.

William Regal was fired from WCW for shoot wrestling Goldberg on TV.
The match is worth a YouTube. It was supposed to be a squash, but Regal put up a fight in an attempt to make Goldberg look bad (something that Regal has publicly denied). You can easily see Regal giving Goldberg a hard time throughout the bout, including an “accidental” kick to his face.

Jerry Lawler and the Honky Tonk Man are first cousins.
The two wrestling legends’ mothers are sisters. I wasn’t too surprised when I learned this, considering the fact that they kind of look and sound alike and are both from Tennessee. They even feuded against each other back when they worked in Tennessee territories. Bad blood kept the cousins apart for years, but they buried the hatchet several years ago.

Sheamus has already had more televised matches than Shawn Michaels.
Since debuting in 2009, The Celtic Warrior has been quite the workaholic. Between Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and Main Event, he has tallied well over 300 total matches on TV, while Michaels has clocked in at around 250 total matches in his 15+ year TV career. As a matter of fact, HBK has only wrestled a total of 9 times in the history of Smackdown, which is less than any well-known veteran of all time that was employed since its existence.

The only 3 TNA stars to work for the company since its start are AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, and James Storm.
True TNA fans should know this. These 3 men have stuck through since the beginning of TNA in 2002. Founder and Vice President Jarrett, along with Styles and Storm (the 2 leaders in PPV’s wrestled), have been there through thick and thin.

Mean Gene dropped the F-bomb during the 1989 Summerslam broadcast.
It occurred live during an interview with Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan. A Summerslam set piece fell behind them, interrupting the interview, prompting Okerlund to blurt, “Oh, fuck it”. You can even hear Vince McMahon say “nice move” nearby off screen. He later claimed that it was prerecorded, and that the wrong tape was aired during the live broadcast of the PPV.

Razor Ramon was supposed to face Goldust at WrestleMania 12.
The famous Goldust feud with Roddy Piper that culminated in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl at WrestleMania 12 was originally supposed to feature Razor Ramon. The former IC champion refused to “lower himself” to a feud with Goldust, preferring to instead sit out of the event completely. Ultimately, his request was granted and a willing Hot Rod stepped up to the plate.

The faces won the main event of every Summerslam until 2002.
The WWE’s number 2 PPV did not have a heel win the final match of the show until the 15th event in which Brock Lesnar took the WWE title from The Rock. WrestleMania also had a face win every main event for the first 15 years (thanks to Hulk Hogan’s generosity in 1993). I am excluding Diesel’s wins in 1995, since technically he was a tweener. Regardless, I found the stat to be interesting, considering the fact that the entire 80’s and 90’s never saw a heel steal the show.

The longest women’s match ever on a WWE PPV was at Survivor Series 1987.
The first annual Survivor Series featured the only women’s match to hit the 20 minute mark. The team featuring The Fabulous Moolah and 4 others defeated a team with Dawn Marie, Sensational Sherri, and 3 others. I’d go into more detail but I’m already getting bored.

The only times the Undertaker has been pinned clean is by SCSA, Batista, Kurt Angle, HHH, Kane, and Kozlov.
Another one of those entries that will undoubtedly cause a wave of follow up research from readers, which, in all honesty, I kind of want in order to ensure accuracy. By my count, 6 is the current number of times Taker has been pinned clean. Additionally, The Dead Man has never tapped out in his career. Kozlov’s win over Taker is IMO the greatest upset of the 21st century, considering the fact that it was both a clean pin and a victory that only took a little over 8 minutes. I feel that the Kozlov-UT match is certainly one that WWE would take back if they could, being that nothing ever came of Kozlov. By far the entry that used up the most time on this blog, I had to be accurate (though I doubt I will be). So until I am disproved with evidence, the statement shall stand.

Please leave any comments or corrections. Again, thanks for reading and supporting these blogs. I just hope you’ve had as much fun reading them as I’ve had writing them. Be good.
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45961-24-More-Interesting-FactsLord of the Facts III: The Return of the Stat Kinghttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45952-Lord-of-the-Facts-III-The-Return-of-the-Stat-King
Thu, 17 Oct 2013 08:32:16 GMTDue to popular demand, I bestow upon you the 3rd installment of my fun facts trilogy. All great things come in 3’s, right? This is by far the biggest...Due to popular demand, I bestow upon you the 3rd installment of my fun facts trilogy. All great things come in 3’s, right? This is by far the biggest entry in the series. It will focus on TV and PPV stats, and go very in-depth. Fact checkers get ready because you’re in for a doozy. I want to thank everyone who read and helped support this series in any way. Let’s roll.

*All PPV stats require a 3 match minimum.*Not all PPVs are covered, but the ones that are will include their entire history.

(SECTION 1: WCW PPV)

WCW PAY PER VIEW STATS AND LEADERS:

Sting leads all WCW wrestlers in both PPVs wrestled (88) and PPV wins (56).
The Stinger leads WCW in both of these categories. Neither Ric Flair nor the Hulkster could outdo this guy when it came to being The Man. Sting will forever go down as the greatest wrestler in WCW history. Perhaps that explains why the WWE’s acquisition of WCW never felt right. Their most renowned star never came aboard, leaving a hole in the hearts of wrestling fans everywhere.

Best record at Superbrawl
Hulk Hogan (5-1)

Best record at The Great American Bash
Booker T (6-0)
Stevie Ray (3-0)
Steve Williams (3-0)

Best record at Bash at the Beach
The Giant (3-0)
Rey Misterio (3-0)
Chris Kanyon (3-0)

Most matches/wins at Bash at the Beach
Hulk Hogan (6 matches/4 wins)

Best record at Starrcade
Kevin Nash (4-0)

Most wins at Starrcade
Sting (13)

Most losses at Starrcade
Lex Luger (7)

Clash of the Champions facts
There has been 35 Clash of the Champions events, which is actually the longest reoccurring wrestling event between the big promotions. This does not count as a PPV as they aired on TBS. Ever wonder which superstars fared the best at the event? Here is a quick breakdown, excluding draws/no contests:Sting: 25 matches (all-time leader), 5 lossesLuger: 15 matches, 1 lossRickySteamboat: 11 matches, undefeated (best record)Steve Williams: 10 matches, undefeatedRic Flair: 17 main events (record)

AJ Styles leads TNA for the most PPV wins, and is 1 shy for the company record for the most PPV losses.
Styles is the all-time leader in total PPV matches (105), wins (56), and even draws (3). He also has 46 total PPV losses. However, that can change at Bound for Glory. Christopher Daniels has 47 PPV losses, while Bully has 45, and with AJ facing Bully at the event, we can see a number of possibilities in regards to their standings after the show.

*Kurt Angle has main evented the most TNA PPVs (31) and won the most PPV main events (18).

*Sting has main evented the 2nd most TNA PPVs (30) and won the 2nd most PPV main events (14).

*Sting has lost the most TNA PPV main events (16).

(SECTION 3: WWE TV)

SMACKDOWN STATS
As of this writing, there have been 739 episodes of WWE Smackdown. I will quickly break down the all-time leaders in matches, wins, and losses.

All-time matches wrestled
1st Rey Misterio (283)
2nd Big Show (282)

All-time wins
1st Rey Misterio (181)
2nd Big Show (167)

All-time losses
1st Matt Hardy (126)
2nd Kane (110)

RAW STATS
As of this writing there has been 1064 episodes of Monday Night Raw, roughly 20 years’ worth of programming that has shattered TV records as we know it and helped turn wrestlers into household names. Here is the best of the best.

*The all-time leader in WWE PPV main event appearances is The Undertaker (65), HHH trails him by 1.

*Taker also has the most main event losses (39), with HHH trailing by 5.

*John Cena has main evented the same amount of WWE PPVs as Hulk Hogan (27), Macho Man (14), and Bret Hart (19) combined. Out of his 60 main events, Cena has lost a surprisingly high 25 times, along with 1 draw.

*Ultimately, John Cena is the all-time WWE leader in main event PPV wins at 34, followed by HHH at 29, and Taker at 23. At this rate, Cena should become the all-time leader in main event appearances very soon.

The Undertaker has wrestled 163 career PPV matches, winning 95 times, the total leader in both categories.
What do you expect after a 20+ year career? Taker is also the all-time leader for nearly every WWE PPV (except for the newer ones) in terms of matches wrestled. This list includes WrestleMania, Summerslam, Survivor Series, and In Your House. HHH trails The Phenom with 161 career PPV matches.

Rob Van Dam has wrestled in the most PPVs in ECW and has the most wins.
That’s right, RVD has appeared in a record-breaking 18 PPVs, winning 14 times (also a record), losing only 2 times, and battling to a draw/no contest 2 times (also a record). Simon Dean and Lance Storm are at a distant 2nd with 15 career PPV matches apiece. Now that’s the whole F’n show.

* Vito is 3-0 at ECW PPV’s, technically the all-time overall best record.

* RVD is undefeated in ECW PPV main events (4-0).

* Tazz is undefeated in ECW PPV main events (4-0).

BONUS WWE FACTS

*John Cena has lost 44 total times on PPV.

*RVD is the only wrestler that is undefeated at both WrestleMania (4-0) and Bound for Glory (3-0).

*Stone Cold has won and lost 20 times each in a WWE PPV main event, along with 1 draw (50% career avg).

*WWE and WCW combined, Hulk Hogan has won 40 PPV main events, more than anyone ever.

Well, I hope you’ve had enough because I honestly don’t ever want to have to do that again. Although I was extremely thorough, there may be less than a 1% margin of error. Please leave any corrections you find and I will promptly fix them. I would like to hear your comments. What do you think? Which stats surprised you the most?

I hope you had fun. Thanks for reading.
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45952-Lord-of-the-Facts-III-The-Return-of-the-Stat-KingWrestling by the Numbers (Fun Facts ll)http://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45947-Wrestling-by-the-Numbers-(Fun-Facts-ll)
Mon, 14 Oct 2013 21:06:12 GMTI recently did a blog called “15 Amazing Facts and Weird Crap” which received great feedback, and more importantly, I had fun doing it. Therefore, I...I recently did a blog called “15 Amazing Facts and Weird Crap” which received great feedback, and more importantly, I had fun doing it. Therefore, I have decided to throw another statistic-fueled set of facts at you, except this time, everything has to do with numbers. Some of these numbers are readily available on various websites, others I had to look up. Either way, I think you will enjoy this and will be pleasantly surprised by some of these. As always, corrections are appreciated and I also welcome any other interesting facts.

Roddy Piper has wrestled zero matches at Summerslam.
The Hot Rod was arguably the most important heel in WWE history, yet, in all his glory, the man has not once competed at the company’s 2nd biggest event? Easily one of the biggest statistical anomalies of all time.

Shawn Michaels has lost 11 times at WrestleMania, more than anyone.
The Showstopper has more PWI Match of the Year Awards than any wrestler, with most of those matches going down at the Showcase of the Immortals. However, the majority of those bouts, along with the majority of his career WM bouts, resulted in losses.

Worst WM Records
No need to worry Shawn, because the all-time worst WrestleMania record belongs to 2 other men. Both Jeff Hardy and Golddust are 0-5 at the Grandest Stage of Them All. That’s right, neither one has ever come out on top in the show’s history.

Best WM Records
It is of no surprise, that the greatest WM record belongs to The Undertaker, at 21-0. However, he is not the only undefeated WWE Superstar at the PPV. Currently, both The Miz (3-0) and Rob Van Dam (4-0) are still undefeated at WM (main card), as well. The WWE Diva with the best WM record? Sable, who retired from wrestling with a 3-0 record. Other 3-0 records include tag team legends Hawk, Animal, and Ax.

Rare Royal Rumble Stats9- Men that have won the Royal Rumble on their official Rumble debut. This shockingly long list includes Hacksaw Jim Duggan (obviously, being that he won the first one), Lex Luger, Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar, and Alberto Del Rio (the last one to do so). Perhaps the most important thing in the Royal Rumble is beginner’s luck.

6- WWE Superstars that have won both a Royal Rumble and a King of the Ring:
Bret Hart
Stone Cold
HHH
Edge
Brock Lesnar
Sheamus

As we all know, the winner of the Royal Rumble receives a world title shot at WrestleMania. However, from 2005-2010, the runner-up of the Rumble went on to receive a world title shot as well, and half of those times (3) even went on to win the world title at WM, the same record as actual Rumble winners during that time span. John Cena (2005 & 2010) and HHH (2009) both were the last man eliminated at the Rumble, but still won the title at WM.

3 hours and 51 minutes- The longest total time spent in the Royal Rumble is held by HHH, edging out both HBK (2nd place) and Rey Misterio (3rd place).

It should be common knowledge that Rey Misterio holds the record for the longest time spent in a single Rumble at approximately 1 hour 2 minutes in 2006, edging out Chris Benoit by mere seconds from his 2004 victory. However, the original record holder was none other than WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund, who spent over 1 hour in the 1993 Royal Rumble, the first man ever to do so, a PPV record that stood for over a decade.

Wait a Minute...
Although the 2011 Royal Rumble is considered the longest battle royal ever at 69:52 (won by ADR), there was one at a 1994 house show in Madison Square Garden, New York that clocked in at 70:06, which is technically the longest battle royal in wrestling history. The legendary match featured wrestling greats such as HBK, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Diesel, Bob Backlund, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jeff Jarrett. The winner? Owen Hart.

Title stats43- Total number of men to win a WWE Title since it began in 1963.71- Total number of men to win the Intercontinental Title since it began in 1979.234- Number of WWE Hardcore Title reigns throughout its existence (11-2-1998 through 8-26-2002)15- Number of Hardcore Title reigns Shawn Stasiak had during the title’s 24/7 rule.0- Number of times Shawn appeared on TV with the title.27- Number of Hardcore Title reigns for Raven, more than any superstar.21- Total number of titles Booker T won in WCW, more than anyone in company history.

Random numbers17- Most appearances at the Starrcade Pay Per View, set by Sting.7- Consecutive main event appearances by Ric Flair in the first 7 Starrcade Pay Per Views, losing only to Dusty Rhodes and Sting.3- Men that have ever tapped out in a WrestleMania main event, HHH (X2), HBK, and Edge, all within a 5 year span.23- Record number of times that Jushin Thunder Liger has appeared in the PWI 500.20- Number of times Kane and RVD have appeared in the PWI 500, leading the current WWE roster.90,000- Number of buys for the lowest grossing WWE PPV since 2000, December 2 Dismember 2006.1st, 2nd, and 3rd- The rankings of AJ Styles, James Storm, and Bobby Roode, respectively, in terms of most TNA PPVs wrestled in company history.

Going the distance
The longest WWE match of all time saw Bruno Sammartino battle Waldo Von Erich to an 81 minute draw at a Madison Square Garden match for the WWE Title in 1964.

The longest match ever actually occurred in New Japan Pro Wrestling, that saw Antonio Inoki defeat Masa Saito in an Island Deathmatch in 1987. The length of the match was an unprecedented 2 hours, 5 mins, and 42 seconds.

WWE Steel Stats:
Only 12 different men have ever won a Hell in a Cell match in company history.
Undertaker and HHH lead the pack with 6 wins each.
Batista has the best record at 2-0.
Mark Henry, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar stand undefeated at 1-0.

Only 10 different men have ever won an Elimination Chamber match.
HHH leads all wrestlers with 4 wins.
John Cena has 3 wins.
Edge has 2 wins.
Jack Swagger and Bobby Lashley are both undefeated with a 1-0 record.

Hulkamania Doesn’t Rule All:4 men have defeated Hulk Hogan in singles matches without ever losing one back to him:
Sting (more wins than anyone at 4)
The Rock
Goldberg
Brock Lesnar

Hulk Hogan’s worst month of his career was May, 2000 in WCW, suffering 3 losses in 3 weeks.
May 1, 2000: Pinned by Mike Awesome
May 15, 2000: Pinned by Horace Hogan
May 22, 2000: Pinned by Vampiro

John Cena Stats
Since becoming a world champ for the first time at WrestleMania 21, John Cena has only lost clean in 8 Pay Per View matches:
WM 24
Backlash 2008
NOC 2008
Great American Bash 2008
Summerslam 2008
TLC 2009
WM 28
Summerslam 2013

5 of those 8 losses took place in 2008, while 2010 and 2011 did not have a single clean loss for Cena. I’m not saying it’s a load of shit…. But I’m not saying it’s not! BTW, CM Punk has never beat Cena clean so don’t bother looking that up.

…And Finally
From Bragging Rights 2010 through WrestleMania 29 (2013), either John Cena or CM Punk was involved in every PPV main event except 1 (Summerslam 2012). I will tally that up for you, that is 30 out of 31 PPVs!!!!

That's it, hope you enjoyed this presentation. Again, corrections are welcomed and appreciated, Thank you.
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45947-Wrestling-by-the-Numbers-(Fun-Facts-ll)The Greatest Athletes to Wrestle in the WWEhttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45946-The-Greatest-Athletes-to-Wrestle-in-the-WWE
Sun, 13 Oct 2013 02:15:48 GMTThe following is my list of the greatest athletes to ever wrestle in the WWE. Now for this list, I have 2 simple rules: (1) the entrants must have...The following is my list of the greatest athletes to ever wrestle in the WWE. Now for this list, I have 2 simple rules: (1) the entrants must have wrestled at least one singles match in a WWE ring (no WCW or NWA) and (2) they must have a recognizable reputation in wrestling. This was very difficult to objectively rank, so, as usual, enjoy the content rather than go nuts over my order. Most of these entrants were former football players. It is no surprise that wrestling has a history of calling upon players who are cut from the NFL. Hopefully, I didn’t leave out anyone significant. This list will attempt to rank the athletic success of these stars outsideof their WWE careers. To my non-U.S. readers, all football references are to American football, rather than soccer. Let’s go.

17. Lex Luger- Luger played in college for Penn State in his freshman year, then transferred to Miami to play for the Hurricanes. He didn’t make much of a name for himself in college, and eventually went on to play brief stints in the CFL, followed by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, where he was sidelined due to injury. His football career came to an end after spending a year in the United States Football League where he was teammates with Ron Simmons.

16. JBL- JBL played college football for Abilene Christian University as an All-American offensive lineman for 2 seasons, followed by a brief NFL stint that saw him released before ever playing a regular season game for the LA Raiders. He also played one season in the World League of American Football for San Antonio, Texas. JBL has often bragged on television that he played his last 2 college games with a broken leg.

15. Brian Pillman- Like numerous stars in this countdown, The Loose Cannon played defensive tackle. In college, he played for Miami University in Ohio (same as Ben Roethlisberger) where he still holds the school records for both season and career tackles for a loss. The Cincinnati Bengals signed him as a free agent in the NFL in 1984 and sent him to the Buffalo Bills, where he was eventually cut before the start of the 1985 regular season. Pillman also briefly played in the Canadian Football League before embarking on his professional wrestling career.

14. Bill Goldberg- Goldberg is yet another former NFL player to turn to wrestling due to injury. He played as a defensive tackle in college for the University of Georgia before being drafted late into the 1990 NFL Draft. Goldberg played for the LA Rams, the Atlanta Falcons (majority of his career), and finally, the Carolina Panthers. A terrible career-ending injury saw his abdominal muscles literally tear from his pelvis (ouch!). Suffice to say, his NFL career was lackluster, playing in only a few games and never recording a single sack.

13. Shelton Benjamin- Shelton Benjamin was a wrestling prodigy since his early days, and it is a shame that he never became a main eventer in the WWE. However, that does not take away from what he has accomplished in his career, which began as a high school state champion in heavyweight wrestling. In 1996, Benjamin won a national heavyweight title in junior college before attending the University of Minnesota where he became a 2-time All-American heavyweight wrestler and even worked and lived with Brock Lesnar there.

12. The Rock- The Great One is up next on my list. His wrestling career speaks for itself, while his football career does the same. A member of the 1991 National Champion Miami Hurricanes, he played defensive tackle, which by now should be common knowledge to many wrestling fans. Although he only started in 1 out of his 39 career games at Miami (anyone would come off the bench for Warren Sapp), Johnson recorded a total of 77 tackles and 4.25 sacks. Rocky’s popularity even scored him a guest appearance on Martha Stewart Living during the championship season. Following college, he briefly took a crack at the CFL, before eventually finding his true calling. The Rock and Lex Luger are to this day the only 2 WWE wrestlers to both play college football at Miami and play in the CFL.

11. Jack Swagger- Barely edging out The Rock (due to individual college achievements) is Jack Swagger. At the University of Oklahoma, Swagger actually played 2 sports. He was a back-up defensive tackle on the football team in addition to his specialty, wrestling. Swagger was named an All-American and famously set a record for pins in a season (30). Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to win the NCAA Championship in either year and finished with a personal best of 7th place in 2006.

10. Wahoo McDaniel- Wahoo started his college career playing football for Oklahoma and went on to have a full NFL career. He was a linebacker for the Houston Oilers, the Denver Broncos, the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins, and the San Diego Chargers during the 1960’s. McDaniel didn’t get to start any games until the latter stage of his NFL career, however, he was still able to record 13 career interceptions and even run one of them back for a touchdown. His football career came to a halt after assaulting 2 police officers, which caused Wahoo to transition into his wrestling career.

9. Ron Simmons- Simmons had an incredible college football career that led to a brief professional football career. He began in college at Florida State where he played in back-to-back Orange Bowls. FSU would retire his jersey, as he was actually a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 1979, and he was even inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He would go on to play in the NFL (Cleveland Browns), CFL, and USFL in the mid-80’s, but nothing notable came from his professional career.

8. Monty Brown- Easily the least known wrestler on this list, but one of the most notable football careers, is Monty Brown. His stage name was The Alpha Male, Marcus Cor Von, and he was a member of the ECW New Breed. Brown began his college football career at Ferris State University, where he set several records, won multiple awards, and was named an All-American linebacker. He played multiple seasons for the Buffalo Bills, including a Super Bowl appearance in 1994, which they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. In his final season in the NFL, Brown signed with the New England Patriots and had his season cut short due to injury. Brown began to show promise in his final 2 years in the NFL, which happened to be the only seasons in which he started any games, and he even recorded over 60 tackles and nearly 40 assists on tackles in those 2 seasons.

7. Kurt Angle- How can we leave out Kurt Angle? The guy’s entire gimmick is based on his Olympic success of winning a gold medal in the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Angle faced a renown Iranian wrestler in the heavyweight class, and defeated him by official decision after they wrestled to a draw. Oh yeah, and he did it “with a frickin’ broken neck”. Other accomplishments include being a 2-time NCAA Division 1 Champion and a 3-time Division 1 All-American. He once even tried out for the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football team. Kurt is one of the best athlete-turned-wrestlers of all time.

6. Dan Severn- Up next is another renown wrestler, UFC pioneer, Hall of Famer and former Superfight Champion, Dan Severn. Specializing in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, The Beast has held over 100 titles in his illustrious career. He is a Hall of Famer at Arizona State University, where he attended college, and competed in all 3 Summer Olympics in the 1980s as a team alternate for amateur wrestling. He famously feuded with Ken Shamrock in UFC, WWE, and NWA.

5. Ken Shamrock- Cracking the top 5 is Ken Shamrock. The UFC Hall of Famer has headlined over a dozen ppvs and is one of the all-time greats of MMA. The World’s Most Dangerous Man is the first UFC Superfight Champion (3X total) and the founder of the infamous Lion’s Den. His battles with Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, and Tito Ortiz set records in the UFC and turned Shamrock into a legend. He also still holds the record for the longest UFC fight ever, at a whopping 36 minutes. In 2002, a deal fell through that would’ve brought him back to the WWE for a program with Kurt Angle, but scheduling disputes robbed the fans of what would have potentially been one of the best feuds ever.

4. Ernie Ladd- “The Big Cat” is up next in this countdown. Most young fans won’t recognize this WWE Hall of Famer because his wrestling career ended in 1986. Ladd wrestled in the former WWWF, going up against the best of the best, including Sammartino, Morales, and Backlund in the 1970’s. Although he competed for the original WWE title, Ladd was never successful in his quest, but was a trailblazer, as he was one of the first African Americans to become a true threat to the title. Additionally, Ladd was the first football player-turned wrester to become really successful in the ring. Before wrestling, Ladd played over 100 combined games for 3 NFL teams, most notably the San Diego Chargers, which played in 4 championship games while Ladd was with them, eventually winning an AFL Championship in 1963. He technically had the longest NFL career out of any full-time wrestler on this list and was a 4X AFL All-Star.

3. Mark Henry- A fellow Texan and one of my favorites on this list is Mark Henry. Prior to the WWE, Henry was a power lifter and weightlifter, winning so many medals and setting so many records that it would make your head spin. He is a 2-time Olympian, 2-time National Champion, and gold medalist in powerlifting, as well as a 3-time National Champion in weightlifting. Henry set numerous world records, along with dozens of other achievements, such as the first ever winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic. All of this, in 1996, led to a then-unprecedented, lucrative 10-year, 8-figure WWE contract, which even allowed Henry to take time off for competitions.

2. Lawrence Taylor- Yeah I know, cocaine and under-aged prostitutes have marred this legend’s legacy, but luckily, I’ll still allow him entry in my countdown. The 10X Pro Bowl, Hall of Famer is arguably the greatest linebacker in NFL history. He set several records in college at UNC before turning pro. LT famously main-evented WrestleMania 11, and although he only wrestled one time in the company, it is still a hell of an achievement, considering the fact that he had no wrestling experience. As we know, Taylor defeated Bam Bam en route to perhaps the single greatest feat that any pro athlete has ever accomplished in WWE, winning the company’s biggest match of the year.
1. Brock Lesnar- What can I say about The Beast?
-NCAA Heavyweight Champion (University of Minnesota, 2000)
-UFC Heavyweight Champion
-Signed with Minnesota Vikings
Brock is arguably the greatest physical athlete in history. No one can duplicate his list of career accomplishments. I have been a fan of Brock since his WWE debut, and even supported him in his MMA career. In college, Brock finished 2nd place for the heavyweight championship in wrestling in 1999, then went on to win it the following year. The guy took on nothing but monsters from when he first stepped foot into The Octagon. UFC 100 and 116, which he headlined, are the 2 highest grossing UFC pay per views ever. As a matter of fact, Brock headlined 4 out of the 6 highest grossing UFC ppvs, making him the all time biggest draw. He also set numerous other records in his short run with the company. I personally was excited to see what Brock could do in the NFL, but unfortunately, he and the Vikings weren’t on the same page. All this and he still managed to become a 3X WWE Champion in his 2 year TV stint, something only a dozen other men have done, usually taking them most of their careers to accomplish.

There you have it, folks. There were too many athletes out there to mention in this blog, so here's your chance to drop some extra names. Please feel free to share any additional thoughts or insight.
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45946-The-Greatest-Athletes-to-Wrestle-in-the-WWETop 20 Wrestler-Turned-Actors of All Timehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45934-Top-20-Wrestler-Turned-Actors-of-All-Time
Thu, 03 Oct 2013 03:42:49 GMTHere is a treat for you nostalgic users. The following is a star-studded, top 20 countdown of the greatest wrestler-turned-actors of all time. I...Here is a treat for you nostalgic users. The following is a star-studded, top 20 countdown of the greatest wrestler-turned-actors of all time. I tried to rate the following stars objectively based on a combination of A.) Filmography, B.) Box office success, C.) Significant roles, D.) Acting skill (or attempt of), E.) Signs of promise for the newer guys/trailblazing status for the older guys. Although no one on this list of brilliant thespians has yet to take home an Academy Award, I figured that having their name dropped in my blog would be a much greater accolade. Alright, enough foreplay, let’s boogie:

20. Randy Orton
Notable work- That’s What I Am, 12 Rounds: Reloaded
The Viper kicks off this countdown. Orton’s 2 movies in the last 2 years barely helped separate him from the list of honorable mentions. He was the original lead actor for the Marine 2, but was replaced by Ted Dibiase Jr. when producers learned of his discharge from the Marines as a teen.

19. Sting
Notable work- Shutterspeed, Ready to Rumble
One of the most iconic figures in wrestling history came up short when it came to the silver screen. He starred in a couple of forgettable TV movies, which surprises me because I always felt like he had a decent look for a movie star. Bonus fact: Look for the Stinger in a reoccurring role in 3 episodes of the Hulk Hogan TV series Thunder in Paradise.

18. Kurt Angle
Notable work- Warrior, River of Darkness
Kurt was able to squeeze into my list because of his modest list of straight-to-DVD films, over half a dozen in the last 5 years. River of Darkness actually has both Kevin Nash and Sid Vicious, not that that warrants a viewing. Perhaps he’s paying his dues and laying the ground work for a future career. Bonus fact: Kurt appears in a quick cameo in The Rock/Mark Wahlberg film, Pain and Gain.

17. Big Show
Notable work- The Waterboy, MacGruber, Knucklehead
The first of 3 giants in this countdown, The Big Show is no stranger to comedy. His first memorable role was a cameo as a giant Santa Clause in the Arnold Schwarzenegger family comedy, Jingle All the Way. His only lead role was as a fighter in Knucklehead, the 2nd movie to be produced by WWE Studios.

16. Goldberg
Notable work- Ready to Rumble, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Universal Soldier: The Return
Bill Goldberg, one of the biggest names in WCW history, has appeared in several films, the most successful of which being The Longest Yard remake. He had some futile attempts at the big screen, straight-to-DVD flicks, and television appearances that began towards the fall of WCW, but nothing truly noteworthy.

15. Randy Savage
Notable work- Spider Man, Bolt (voice)
Asides from several TV appearances, his only memorable movie role was a scene in Spider Man as Bone Saw McGraw, a mean wrestler that had his ass handed to him by Spidey. However, that along with his small role in the animated feature Bolt, combined for over $1.1 billion at the world wide box office, more than the majority of the wrestlers on my list, warranting a spot in this countdown. Bonus fact: Savage appears as himself, along with Hogan, Flair, Vader, and Sullivan, in the greatest episode of Baywatch ever, “Bash at the Beach”.

14. The Great Khali
Notable work- Macgruber, The Longest Yard, Get Smart
Up next is the Punjabi Playboy. Not necessarily a great actor, per say, or much serious experience, but he managed to land novelty roles in a handful of significant movies. In addition to his roles in the US, Khali also has appeared in a couple of Bollywood films.

13. HHH
Notable work- Blade: Trinity, The Chaperone, Inside Out
Why in the blue hell The Game ranked so high on this list? (Crowd in unison) Because it’s best for business! HHH at one point in his “movie career” thought he would snag the lead role in the Thor movie. Aww, that’s just adorable. Embarrassing confession: I ordered The Chaperone on Netflix when it first came out.

12. Kane
Notable work- See No Evil 1 & 2
Ah, method acting at its finest. Kane, the all-time WWE leader in matches wrestled, took time from his busy schedule to film See No Evil, the second of which is the reason for his current hiatus from TV. In these two horror sequels, The Big Red Machine plays, um, well, himself, I guess. I’m a horror movie guy at heart. I kind of liked the first one, which grossed about $20 mil worldwide, and will eventually catch the sequel.

11. DDP
Notable work- Ready to Rumble, The Devil’s Rejects, 40 Year Old Virgin
Page actually has a rather lengthy list of low budget films. Have you seen any of them? Good, make sure you don’t. Regardless, he has appeared in just enough decent movies to earn himself a spot in this countdown. His roles are usually like his WWE career, short and forgettable.

10. Andre the Giant
Notable work- The Princess Bride, Conan the Destroyer
On to the good stuff… Making the top 10 is everyone’s favorite giant. A true pioneer and trailblazer in the wrestling-to-film crossover, although all he could ever conceivably play was giants and monsters in his movies. Any movie buff remembers his lovable role in The Princess Bride (which almost went to Arnold Schwarzenegger), which at 97% on RT is the best reviewed movie ever with a wrestler in it. Andre helped pave the way for future wrestling stars in Hollywood. Bonus fact: Andre was considered for the role of iconic James Bond villain, Jaws.

9. Terry Funk
Notable work- Over the Top, Road House, Beyond the Mat, The Ringer
Over the Top and Road House are two great guilty pleasure movies that have achieved cult status. Also, he was the main focus in the acclaimed wrestling documentary, Beyond the Mat, so I had to show Funk some respect on this list. Bonus fact: He is the cousin of actor Billy Bob Thornton.

8 1/2. Robert Maillet
Notable work- 300, Sherlock Holmes, Pacific Rim
Known as "Kurrgan" during his stint in the WWE as a member of the Oddities, Maillet has a long list of "tough guy" supporting roles. Although his name may not be as recognizable as the rest of this list, his movies certainly are. Maillet's filmography includes 300, Sherlock Holmes (in which he had a huge fight scene with Robert Downey Jr.), and the upcoming Hercules movie alongside The Rock.

8. John Cena
Notable work- The Marine, 12 Rounds, upcoming Scooby Doo film
Now just wait a minute, hear me out. The guy was the lead star in a couple of WWE Films action vehicles that grossed a combined $40 mil worldwide, and even has a role in the upcoming Scooby Doo sequel. Due to his massive popularity, future movie roles are a given. Bonus fact: Look for Cena in an un-credited cameo in the WCW movie, Ready to Rumble, before Vince signed him to WWE.

7. DaveBautista
Notable work- Scorpion King 3, Man with the Iron Fist, Riddick, Guardians of the Galaxy
Although he could work a little bit on his acting, Bautista’s resume this early in his career is impressive. I see him getting a giant push in a possible return to the WWE, especially because of his recent success in scoring roles in big budget films such as Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy. The latter of the two can be just what he needs to springboard him into a bona fide movie career. The star-studded Marvel film is due next year. He has a promising future, which places him surprisingly high on this list.

6. Kevin Nash
Notable work- The Punisher, The Longest Yard, Rock of Ages, Magic Mike
Super Shredder!! Sorry had to get that out. Nash has an impressive resume that dates back to 1991, aside from the fact that he never had a major lead role. This guy knows how to do it, simply pursue big man roles with limited screen time. This way, you never really get trashed by the critics. It must be easy for him to channel his inner actor to play his roles, being that his characters are usually assholes. Bonus fact: Nash was the original choice for Sabretooth in the X-Men movie, but Tyler Mane (honorable mention, Nash’s former WCW tag partner) ended up taking it.

5. Roddy Piper
Notable work- They Live, Hell Comes to Frogtown, Always Sunny (2 episodes)
Let’s be honest here, They Live on its own earns the Hot Rod the number 5 spot on this countdown. It is one of my all-time favorite movies and my #1 movie role on this entire list, riddled with awesome one-liners. It received an 87% on RT and has a hell of a legacy, which includes a shot-for-shot remake of its epic alley fight scene on an episode of South Park where Timmy and Jimmy have a “cripple fight”. Frankly, I’ll admit all of his other movies were total trash, and believe me, there’s a lot of them.

4. Jesse Ventura
Notable work- Predator, The Running Man, Demolition Man, Batman and Robin
One of 2 men on this countdown to share movies with Stallone and Arnold (with whom he shared 3), The Body is able to crack the final 4. Although he’s only known for supporting roles, he’s got the look and the charisma, plus he even hosted his own TV show, Conspiracy Theory. His list of films is pretty damn impressive, which was the main factor of his success in this countdown. His best movie quote: “I ain’t got time to bleed!”- Predator

3. (Get your keyboards ready…)Hulk Hogan
Notable work- Rocky 3, Suburban Commando, Thunder in Paradise (series)
His role as Thunderlips in Rocky 3 helped him earn just enough street cred to jump up a few spots on my list. After all, his highest rated film on RT is Gremlins 2 for God’s sake (No Holds Barred: 5%, Mr. Nanny: 7%) and his movie grosses were mediocre, Rocky 3 excluded, which at $125 mil is to this day the 2nd highest grossing boxing film in US history. So why is he ranked at #3? If it wasn’t for his role in Rocky 3 with Mr. T (both men’s big screen debut), WrestleMania 1 may have never happened. Plus, he was the original pioneer in movies starring wrestlers. Andre had a couple of small roles in the 1970s, but Rocky 3 in 1982 destroyed them. The Hulkster had several memorable lead roles, simply sticking to light-hearted vehicles that banked off his massive popularity and recognizable name.

2. Stone Cold
Notable work- The Condemned, The Expendables, Grown Ups 2,
A potentially controversial runner up that may be overrated to a lot of you. Austin, whose acting influences include John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, fares well in my book due to his impressive list of action films in which he was the lead star. I was shocked when I learned how many decent straight-to-video movies alone Austin has pumped out since retiring from WWE. For that, I name him this countdown’s Mr. Redbox! However, Austin is no stranger to summer blockbusters, appearing in both The Expendables and the summer’s Grown Ups 2, combining for over half a billion dollars worldwide at the box office. I feel like he has a nice balance of my rankings criteria mentioned at the beginning of the blog. As the only other wrestler to appear in a movie with Stallone and Arnold besides Ventura, I actually see a very bright future in Austin’s career. Bonus fact: Adam Sandler named him one of his all-time favorite costars, having also worked with him in The Longest Yard.

1. The Rock
Notable work- Fast and Furious 5-7, Pain and Gain, and upcoming Hercules
No one will dispute my number one pick. By a blowout, Dwayne Johnson takes the top spot in this countdown for the greatest wrestler-turned-actor ever. Johnson is not only the best skilled wresting actor ever, but he also has the best resume, the highest grossing movie totals (billions worldwide), and is by far the highest paid wrestler-actor of all time ($46 mil this year alone). Never before has a wrestler become an A-list actor. He is the perfect example of true charisma in the ring carrying onto the big screen. Thank you, Rocky, for giving hope to the business, even though I still haven’t forgiven you for your performance in Be Cool. Bonus fact: He was Tim Burton’s 2nd choice for the role of Willy Wonka in the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Oh shit! I forgot about Shane McMahon in Rollerball, I have to redo the entire list. Just kidding.
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45934-Top-20-Wrestler-Turned-Actors-of-All-Time15 Amazing Facts and Weird Craphttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45927-15-Amazing-Facts-and-Weird-Crap
Sat, 28 Sep 2013 04:03:57 GMTDuring research for my last blog, I came across a lot of interesting facts and figures that I was not able to utilize. I really didn’t want to...During research for my last blog, I came across a lot of interesting facts and figures that I was not able to utilize. I really didn’t want to discard the info, so I decided to parlay it into a new blog.

Anyways, I have produced for your viewing pleasure a list of 15 random, strange, and interesting facts about pro wrestling that I think you will find very amusing. These are mainly just surprising stats and occurrences, as I tried not to go for the most obvious information. It is not a true top 15, but rather, the top 15 from one night of reading, plus some other stuff off the top of my head. You may already be aware of some of these tidbits (common knowledge for some of you older users on this website), or even most of them. However, as long as I can present at least one new piece of information to each reader, well, then it means I didn’t completely waste our time. Fact checkers, get ready, because there is bound to be a small error or two in here somewhere that you can hopefully fix for us. :) Let’s begin the fun…..

15. Jimmy Snuka was the first ECW World Champion.
This countdown starts with Snuka winning a tournament to crown the first ever ECW Heavyweight Champ, and he even held the title for a then-record 24 hours (haha, get it? OK I apologize for that one folks). Maybe they wanted to start the company off on the right foot by giving the belt to someone credible. Um, smart move, Paul. Fortunately, WWE doesn’t recognize title reigns from the original ECW.

14. Diamond Dallas Page has only one victory in the history of Monday Night RAW.
Not as shocking when you consider the fact that he was a Smackdown guy, but interesting nonetheless. DDP still had several bouts on Monday night, but always came up short. No self-high 5 for that one.

13. Shane Helms is the last man to defeat The Rock on television.
As a former fan of his popular internet podcast (yeah I know, no one’s perfect), I learned this fact by hearing him brag about it on what felt like every other episode. This occurred during the Austin/Rock WM 19 feud, while Austin distracted The Rock during a match on RAW.

12. Scott Steiner won the main event of the final WCW Pay Per View ever.
In March 2001, Steiner successfully defended his WCW Heavyweight Title against DDP at WCW Greed (formerly known as Uncensored). Suffice to say, the PPV was garbage, and didn’t feature Sting, Hogan, Flair, Goldberg, and a handful of other WCW favorites.

11. There have been a total of 5 Buried Alive Matches, The Undertaker competed in all of them, and he was buried alive 3 of those times.
They don’t call him the Dead Man for nothing. Perhaps he likes laying around in the dirt? Either way, this match is definitely not one that favors The Undertaker statistically.

10. The Dudley Boyz actually had a total of 9 family members in ECW.
Bubba, Devon, and Spike were not the only “brothers”. True ECW aficionados know that there were six other half-brothers: Snot, Chubby, Sign Guy, Dudley, Dances with, and Big Dick Dudley also existed, not to mention a handful of other Dudleyz outside of ECW. Their parents must be so proud.

9. RVD once wrestled Kevin Nash…in WCW.
Many RVD fans already know this, but RVD very briefly competed in WCW before he was in ECW. There was a tournament for the TV Title and he took on a large man by the name of Vinnie Vegas, AKA Kevin Nash. Unfortunately, RVD didn’t fare well, and he was defeated by Nash, I mean Vegas, I mean, I don’t know…

8. WWE’s Night of Champions PPV has had a total of only 4 non-title matches in its history, 3 of those featuring CM Punk.
The PPV truly lives up to its name. Big Show, HHH, and Heyman/Axel are the three matches in which Punk competed without a title on the line, losing all 3. The 4th non-title match at NOH? Orton vs Ziggler. (Please don’t bombard me with comments about dark matches, they don’t count!)

7. Roddy Piper was not pinned in a WWE ring until Wrestlemania 8 by Bret Hart.
Although Piper has often bragged about this feat, I have heard that Jimmy Snuka pinned him in a strap match years before. I could not find this match online, and think that if it actually exists, it may have been non-televised or just extremely obscure. It’s cool, Hot Rod, I’ll pretend it never happened.

6. Spike Dudley beat William Regal in about 3 seconds for the European Championship.
According to my sources, this is actually the quickest full match in wrestling history, which obviously, also makes it the quickest title match of all time. Regal hid a pair of brass knuckles in the turnbuckle before the match, then Spike came out, grabbed them, and clocked Regal as the ref turned around to signal for the match to start. Ding-Ding! Ref turns around to see Spike pinning Regal, and counts to 3. We have a new European Champion!

5. After losing to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6, Hulk Hogan would not lose clean again until he faced Lex Luger in 1997 for the WCW Title.
By far the entry in this blog that consumed the most time, I really tried to make sure I was accurate here. His famous loss as Hollywood Hogan on Nitro to Luger is the only clean loss I could find since the Warrior in 1990, the longest stretch of his career. If I am wrong, I would really love to know the correct match. Also, anyone that can produce a list of his only clean career losses will receive my undying respect. I have a small list in my head, but I’m likely missing one or two.

4. The first ever Casket Match took place in 1980.
Sorry Undertaker, but the first time this match happened was between Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Koloff. Originally called a "Texas Death Match", Rhodes picked up the win by knocking the Russian Bear inside the lidless coffin. The match was confusing, as the rules announced in the beginning were not followed. The men were supposed to rack up pin falls, followed by a quick count, and the man that fails to answer the count would be carried out of the ring in the coffin. Dusty was even awarded a botched 3-count. Variations of this match type also took place throughout the 80s until the WWE version debuted.

3. Hulk Hogan was featured in the main event of every single WCW Uncensored Pay Per View, losing only in 1999 to Ric Flair.
Like every Uncensored main event, this one ended in controversy. Hogan and Flair, in one of their numerous battles, went at it for the first time ever in a First Blood Barbed Wire Cage Match. Why did I include this piece of information? Because Flair won the match VIA PINFALL! That’s right, referee Charles Robinson gave a “fast 3 count” while Flair had Hogan in the Figure Four Leglock in one of the most bizarre finishes I have ever seen.

2. The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) defeated a team of 8 opponents (including Ric Flair and Lex Luger) in a rare Tower of Doom Match.
Seems like a bit much, doesn’t it? The Tower of Doom, which occurred at WCW Uncensored ’96, is pretty much like the 3 story cage from the WCW movie “Ready to Rumble”. The Mega Powers were victorious in this extremely lopsided match after the Booty Man (don’t ask) gave Hogan and Savage a secret weapon to use: Frying pans!! I wish I was making this stuff up.

1. There have been a total of 27 world title changes in the combined history of both WWE RAW and Smackdown, which happens to be 2 more than the number of total world title changes in Wrestlemania history.
You thought the Grandest Stage of Them All pumps out legends? A higher number of world champs did it right in the middle of your living room on cable television, for free. Due to the fact that this statistic encompasses the entire history of WM, RAW, and SD, I felt that it was deserving of the number one spot.

I hope you enjoyed this presentation. What are your thoughts? Got some cool facts or trivia that you want to share? Bring it baby!
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45927-15-Amazing-Facts-and-Weird-CrapLost Glory: Men Who Never Won the Big Onehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45924-Lost-Glory-Men-Who-Never-Won-the-Big-One
Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:59:46 GMT(Excuse the top 20 heading that I can't seem to ever remove)

The following is a list of the top 15 wrestlers that never won a world title in WWE, WCW, or NWA in their entire careers. This isn’t the first or last time that you will come across a list of this nature, but I find it necessary to pay tribute to those who spent their lives entertaining us. Many of these men failed to win the big one due to injury, personal issues, backstage politics, death, or a combination. It’s physically impossible to rank these men accurately, and on any given day I could mix around this list, which includes placing my bottom five in the top five and vice versa. However, on the night that I wrote this blog, this was the way in which I tried to objectively order them. In other words, try to enjoy the content rather than pull your hair out over my order. Anyways, let’s get crackin’:

15. Brian Pillman- This list kicks off with one-half of the Hollywood Blondes, Stone Cold’s former tag team partner. The Loose Cannon truly lived up to his nickname, notorious for his wild behavior and unpredictable promos. Injury would slow his career, which like many others on this list, ended in tragedy.

14. Paul Orndorff- For you kids out there, “Mr. Wonderful” main evented the first Wrestlemania. His ongoing feud with Hulk Hogan in the 80s turned him into a mega heel. Although Orndorff never won a world title, he was one of the pioneers that helped build what is now the WWE.

13. Magnum T.A.- Boasted as “The Next Ric Flair”, Magnum’s promising career was cut short after a car accident left him paralyzed in the mid-80s. His feuds in NWA are enough to earn him a spot on this countdown.

12. Tully Blanchard- A WWE Hall of Famer and an original member of the Four Horsemen, Tully is one of many men whose careers were overshadowed by Ric Flair. His tag team with Arn Anderson is still considered to this day as one of the greatest of all time. And to think, he began his career as a wrestling referee.

11. Arn Anderson- Another member of the HOF Four Horseman, and longtime tag partner of Blanchard, “The Enforcer” had one of the most respectable careers in history. Unfortunately, he lacked the look and was also overshadowed by the Nature Boy, even losing his last career match to Flair’s son, David. (To those that question how I could leave Arn and Tully out of the top 10, it was due to the fact that they were tag teamers in their prime, and never really threats to the world titles.)

10. Scott Hall- Managing to crack the top 10 on this list is one of the top 5 longest reigning Intercontinental Champions in WWE history, the co-founder of the NWO, and member of the Kliq. Although Hall’s personal problems precede his wrestling reputation, I had to include him due to his numerous failed attempts at winning world titles in his career. How many other men on this list can say that they helped steal the show at both Wrestlemania and Starcade?

9. William Regal- A 30+ year career separates this man from most on this list. Here is a perfect example of simply slipping through the cracks. Regal could have easily been a world champion had he lived in earlier decades, but unfortunately, his career was overshadowed by bigger names. He still goes down as a bona fide badass in my book.

8. Rick Rude- One of many men on this list that constitutes the total package. An original member of DX, Rude had the looks, the charisma, and the skills to rise among the ranks of professional wrestling. How the bosses never put a world title on this man is completely beyond me.

7. Jake “The Snake” Roberts- Some may argue that this entrant shouldn’t be so close to number one, but I beg to differ. Roberts is one of the most original, entertaining wrestlers in history. The shocking part of it is that he never won a single title in WWE, let alone a world title. This is despite a career of high profile feuds including the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, the Undertaker, and Stone Cold.

6. Dean Malenko- WWE gave at least one world title to Rey, Eddie, and Benoit, but left their WCW cohort out of the mix. The “Man of 1000 Holds” may not have been great on the microphone, but he put in work, and it is a shame that it never truly paid off with a world title. His feud with Eddie Guerrero in ECW was awesome, and their WCW feud helped Dean earn the number 1 spot PWI’s Top 500 in 1997 (yes you just read that).

5. The British Bulldog- Who is the only wrestler in history to main event Summerslam in an Intercontinental match and main event an In Your House PPV in a European title match? Davey Boy Smith. As a matter of fact, the Bulldog won every title possible in WWE, except the one that matters most. Looking at some of the choices for world champion in WWE in the 90s, it boggles my mind that this one got away. Just another reminder of how drugs can ruin careers.

4. Owen Hart- Tragedy ended the career of one of the most shining stars in this business, as Owen was due for a main event push before his death. In my opinion, he had more natural charisma than Bret, and would have been a great, multi-time world champ in WWE. Additionally, I see a lot of Owen nowadays in Daniel Bryan. Both men were smaller framed, fast, highflying, and had a great onscreen (and offscreen) sense of humor. “I am not a nugget!” VS “I am not the weakest link!” Sounds similar to you?

3. Curt Hennig- One of my all-time favorites, and my personal favorite on this list. Curt is regarded as one of the best workers in the history of this business by his coworkers, but had a career plagued with injuries and personal demons. His losses to Hulk Hogan in the beginning of his WWE career actually made me root against the Hulkster for the first time ever as a child. I name Curt as the single most underutilized wrestler of the 1990s, and it is a damn shame he never became a true main eventer.

2. Roddy Piper- We’ve all heard this argument: “He didn’t need a title.” He had more natural charisma and stage presence than anyone…ever. The Hot Rod is my runner up in this countdown because he transcended the sport. Arguably Hulk Hogan’s greatest arch nemesis and the man that stole the show at the birth of Wrestlemania. If anything, he should have had a world title run just out of respect alone.

1. Ted Dibiase- Not much of a surprise here, the Lex Luthor of wrestling tops this countdown, The Million Dollar Man. Possibly the greatest heel gimmick ever, Dibiase attempted to purchase the WWE title back in the day, and even main evented Wrestlemania lV, two of his closest attempts at the winning the big one. His name suited him well, because he was money in the ring, and money on the mic. A career that was overshadowed by the likes of Hogan, Flair, Savage, and more, this man is my pick for the number one wrestler that should have been a world champion.

Well, thanks for reading. Any type of feedback is welcomed.
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45924-Lost-Glory-Men-Who-Never-Won-the-Big-OneWho will beat The Undertaker?http://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45227-Who-will-beat-The-Undertaker
Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:30:34 GMTThe most talked about match year after year at Wrestlemania. The Streak. The biggest accomplishment in the history of this business. Sunday night,...The most talked about match year after year at Wrestlemania. The Streak. The biggest accomplishment in the history of this business. Sunday night, The Deadman goes 21-0 at the grandest stage of them all. Online betting websites have listed him as a 30-1 favorite in past years to win. With Wrestlemania 30 a year away, the big question is who, if anyone, will end the streak and make the Phenom rest in peace?

The majority of us seem to lean towards John Cena to face Taker next year. I strongly believe that theory, but do not believe Cena should, or will, end the streak. There are two schools of thought. The first, is that a big namer will do the deed. The second, is a pass-the-torch scenario where he puts over some other talent.

In the last decade, Taker's opponents have been superstars, so it's obvious that a top guy will challenge him at Wrestlemania for his remaining appearances. I really doubt he will have another WM match with Kane, but would love to see Kane end his career at another big ppv (non WM). I do think it is fitting for Cena to face Taker next year, but as some have stated, a win for Cena cannot really elevate him beyond the Superman level at which he currently resides.

Mark Callaway's career will end within 3 years, but that doesn't mean his record should too. Leaving him undefeated would allow the legend to live forever. A blemished record is almost as if the streak never existed. If you ask me, let the streak live. End the Undertaker's career at a Summerslam, perhaps by Kane, perhaps by a Cena WM rematch.

I pose 2 questions to the readers:
1. Why or why not should the streak end?
2. Besides Cena or Kane, in which scenario should Taker's career end? Or is there no other scenario?

Thanks for your time,
Kajmere
]]>Kajmerehttp://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45227-Who-will-beat-The-UndertakerWho will win at WM 29http://forum.ewrestlingnews.com/entry.php?45150-Who-will-win-at-WM-29
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:54:32 GMTHere are my predictions for the current WM card:
Rock vs Cena
Winner: Cena
Although I prefer the Rock to end it, as most of you have pointed...Here are my predictions for the current WM card:

Rock vs Cena
Winner: Cena
Although I prefer the Rock to end it, as most of you have pointed out, this one is pretty obvious. Cena takes the title and sets up Rock-Cena 3. The winner of that one should be Cena since, you know, the Rock has another job.

Swagger vs ADR
Winner: Swagger
The guy hasn't lost since returning and would be able to set up so many good future feuds (Sheamus, Orton, Cena etc). I wouldn't be surprised if Swagger also beats Ziggler if he cashes in after the match, becoming the first man to win and defend the world title at WM.

Punk vs Undertaker
Winner: Undertaker
This one's easy. Punk hires The Shield and the match turns into a 4 on 1 handicap match (either it becomes no DQ or they sneak attack a la Royal Rumble). Taker kicks out of the triple powerbomb and takes out The Shield and Punk for the win. Look for the Shield to beat down Taker on RAW within a couple weeks, implicating their involvement in the match.

HHH vs Brock Lesnar
Winner: Brock Lesnar
This one was close and is the one in which I am most doubtful. Brock should go over and become an unstoppable force, resulting in a title run tease against John Cena. I will be disappointed if HHH wins this as Brock is probably the most entertaining guy to watch in my opinion.

The Shield vs Big Show, Randy Orton, and White Chocolate.
Winner: The Shield
It has been The Shield's year, plus a win for team WWE won't really do anything for team WWE. It will just pointlessly ruin a stable that is on fire.

Ryback vs Mark Henry
Winner: Ryback
Has he even won a ppv match yet? For godsake let him get this victory before he goes back to being buried in the mid card for the next 2 years.

If it was up to me, I'd also do a 4 to 8 man elimination match unifying the US and IC titles. Throw in Miz, Jericho, Sandow, Rhodes, Kofi, and R Truth.
Winner: Damien Sandow
You heard me you miscreants! Silence!

No tag title match if you ask me. We've already seen every combination of every tag team in a match at least 5 times. Go ahead with the Daniel Bryan vs Kane match which you guys have been predicting on this site.
Winner: Daniel Bryan

There you have it folks. Hope I threw some stuff at you that you haven't already thought of or read. Either way I'll probably watch it at a bar for $5 and have a good time.